Enjoyment of the
whispering winds, the zephyrs, the airstreams of the Sierra
Nevada and Great Basin areas of the United States in a
recreational vehicle.

Only in a few places will your
trailer ever be hooked up
to electricity or water from a hose. For lights you can use a
butane
light or buy kerosene oil lamps in Mexico, or use a Coleman
kerosene
or gasoline lantern, or you can use your car battery by changing
your
present light bulbs to 12-volt bulbs. There is plenty of butane
in
Mexico. Ice will oftentimes be available , but we cannot
guarantee it
at every stop. A gas refrigerator is obviously best under these
conditions. Some method must be found for handling water for
both
drinking and washing. Some of us use a pressure water system,
some a
water tank and pump, and some carry their water in milk cans,
army
water cans or similar containers. - Wally Byam from the 1957
Caravan to Mexico instructions

Dry
Camping

Camping without the need to be hooked up to
water, electricity, or
sewer connections is one of the greatest advantages of trailer
travel. Not only does it significantly increase the
possibilities for
finding a great campsite it means you are able to do so and
still
have all the comforts of home.

Dry camping can be just a day or two to an
extend stay of a week,
a month or more. It can also enable you to travel in places
where
facilities are hard to find. The longer your stay or trip the
more
planning you will need to do.

From
the January 2010 SNU Newsletter

Boondocking SNU Style

With the SNU boondocking isn't a special
event, it is our standard
rally preference. Boondocking is essentially a choice of rally
sites
that don't provide any amenities. Things like water, electric,
or
sewer hookups. Usually they are unpaved and dispersed sites,
sites
with no restrictions on where or how you park. If camping in
this
type of site is new to you or something you might not be totally
comfortable with then we highly recommend you come to an SNU
rally.
We will introduce you to “off grid”, unstructured, boondocking
Airstream camping like Wally Byam did when he designed this
special
trailer to travel the world.

At an SNU rally you will have a whole
support system to help you
out if your batteries go flat, you run out of water, a few
rivets
come loose, you are not sure what to do about gray water, or you
forgot to bring bread for your sandwiches. Boondocking isn't
just for
vintage Airstreams. Many SNU rally participants have brand new
rigs.
SNU boondocking rallies don't mean you have to do without. We
all
have what is needed to live in comfort without any hook ups.
This
includes, generators, solar panels, extra fresh water tanks,
gray
water disposal systems, tools, and spare parts. Participants at
SNU
rallies have the same comforts and enjoy the same amenities that
would be provided in a full service site. We use microwaves.
Some of
us watch movies in the evenings or catch up with the latests
sporting
events on TV. We have plenty of water for showers, dishwashing,
and
other things. We've even had participants run their vacuum to do
a
little house cleaning. We can sometimes get cell phone coverage
although we'd prefer that any calls are not around the campfire
or at
our pot lucks. We've used our generators to cook waffle
breakfasts,
mix fruit smoothies, and hook up computers so we can transfer
and and
look at rally pictures. Not being tied to facilities gives the
SNU a
broader range of rally sites to choose from. It also helps us
keep
costs to a minimum and reduces the need for advanced
reservations. It
gives us an opportunity to test the various systems of our
Airstreams. Most important, it provides us the opportunity to
enjoy
some of the unique sights and scenery that the Great Basin area
has
to offer without the congestion and restrictions often
associated
with more structured sites. So don't let the idea of a
boondocking
rally inhibit your participation.

The SNU has
held rallies in all sorts
of weather in all sorts of places. Granted there are a few
things to
keep in mind. For instance there usually isn't a grocery store
or
WalMart right around the corner. You do have to keep water and
propane usage and battery charging in mind. That's where the
benefits
of boondocking with fellow Airstreamers pays off. Together we
make
sure that nobody spends a cold night, has to eat cold food, runs
out
of water, or has to deal with their black or gray water tanks
overflowing. That said, the SNU is always open to trying new
things
so we'll be starting off the coming year with a rally at a full
service RV park in March 2010. For those of us familiar with
boondocking this will be a chance to see if we remember how to
hook
up to water and electric and how to have meals indoors out of
the
weather. For those of you who haven't come to a rally yet, this
might
be a great way to get started on some new adventures. There are
lots
of resources in the owners guide
section
of SierraNevadaAirstreams.org that will help you make the most
of
your boondocking experience.

From
the March 2011 SNU Newsletter

Off Grid-camping will set
you free!

If you haven't
tried off grid
dry-camping, SNU rallies are the perfect introduction. Among the
many
experiences we have had and things we have dealt with at SNU
dry-camping rallies were batteries that ran flat, water systems
that
sprung a leak or weren't functioning in the first place and
flaky
refrigerators. Some members enjoy watching TV or movies at
night.
Some like to use a lot of water for showers or other washing.
One
member, for medical reasons needed to run a generator all night.
They
parked in such a way that it didn't impact others. We've had
waffle
brunches using an electric waffle iron with fruit smoothies
using an
electric blender. With a little care and caution, we run air
conditioners to keep us cool and heaters to keep us warm. Even
the
newer Airstreams with their controller boards and alarms that
use
some residual power do just fine dry-camping as long as you pay
attention. Dry-camping means adapting some of the things you do
at
home or at a full service site to accommodate more limited
resources.
For instance to make the propane go a little further, keep the
heater
a little lower or use a catalytic heater. BBQ instead of using
the
stove and oven. Batteries go a little further if you don't turn
all
your lights on for long periods at night and limit the use of
other
battery draining equipment. Consider other power sources like
solar
or generators to augment your on board systems. Water is a big
issue
with dry-camping. Having enough water and disposing of water
properly
make an impact on your enjoyment of dry-camping. With a little
planning and consideration you can be totally comfortable while
minimizing the amount of water you use. In regards to disposing
of
gray water, SNU members have utilized a variety of commercial as
well
as other methods for handling the water if the tank starts to
get
full. The thing to keep in mind about dry-camping is it is a
state of
mind. Dry-camping is not about doing without, it is about
thinking
about what you do and the systems you use. It is about how to
use
these systems most effectively and efficiently. The most
important
asset to dry-camping with the SNU is the experience of our
members.
Most of us have been there, done that for a very long time and
are
more than happy to introduce others to off grid dry-camping.
There is
always somebody at an SNU rally who can assist with any problems
that
might arise including charging batteries, sharing extra water or
propane, or providing refrigerator space. We usually have a fair
supply of tools and have frequently done a little repair and
maintenance work on various Airstreams at rallies. And if
necessary,
we can even take a trip into the nearest town for parts or
supplies.
After learning to enjoy dry-camping SNU style, you'll have a lot
more
options of places to visit and things to enjoy.

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Nevada and Great Basin areas of the United States is apersonal,
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